by Michele Newbern Gillis
Staff Writer
The American Red Cross building has been a fixture in Riverside area since 1965.
“We selected this location after doing a city-wide search for a new location specifically because of the accessibility to the interstate, access to public transportation, stability of the neighborhood and the fact that the American Red Cross has been within two miles of this location for 90 years, so this is where people expect to find us,” said Charles “Skip” Cramer, executive director of the Northeast Florida Chapter of the American Red Cross.
The red brick building at 751 Riverside Ave. was originally built as the regional home office of Continental Life Insurance Companies, but has been the American Red Cross’s headquarters since April 1998.
An addition was added in late 1960s, giving the building a total of 36,000 square feet.
The American Red Cross occupies the second floor and there is 11,000 square feet available for lease on the first floor for $9 a square-foot. The space can be divided into smaller units.
John Lining and Bob Selton of Colliers Dickinson are the leasing agents. The space is located below ground level with windows allowing a street level view.
“It’s not basement level, but it is below the parking lot,” said Selton. “So, it has some issues concerning accessibility. You have to walk down stairs to get into the space. When you look at the building, it looks like a one-story facility, but it is really is a two-story facility.”
Prior tenants include Alltel Information Services and Hudson Properties.
“We have some additional space that is available,” said Cramer. “We can operate now within the square footage on the second floor, but the opportunity to generate some revenue that will help us underwrite Red Cross services to the community. We do expect that we will grow into that space eventually.”
Cramer said a non-profit organization would be ideal for the space.
“I’ve had non-profits, medical related entities who want to be close to the hospital and a number of different types of groups look at the space,” said Selton. “A lot of people like it because of the location. There is not a lot of large contiguous space like this in the Riverside area.”
The location offers easy access to I-95 and all the amenities that Riverside has to offer.
“I think it is a great location and it can only get better,” said Selton. “It’s close to the river, downtown and Riverside.”
Another bonus: 25 parking spaces come with the building.
Though he didn’t have the exact date, Selton said the building was renovated in the late 1980s or early 1990s.
“It certainly has been brought up since the 1960s,” said Selton. “It has nice parabolic lighting and drop ceilings. The space that is available is very nice. With a little steam clean and some touch up on the paint, it is in move-in condition.”
The only drawback seems to be accessibility to the office space.
“Accessibility has been the biggest problem with leasing the space,” said Selton. “If you were able to walk in without having to walk downstairs into the space, I would have had it leased a while ago.”